The Quiet Power

As you know I am a firm believer in natures healing power. I have mentioned a few times —There’s something so therapeutic about stepping outside and letting nature hold you for a little while. For me, walking is more than exercise — it’s a reset button, a way of loosening the knots in my thoughts and reconnecting with something calmer and wiser than the rush of daily life.

What’s even more beautiful is realising that this experience isn’t mine alone. I’ve seen it unfold in others — friends, family, people who might not usually share their feelings easily. There’s a kind of magic that happens when you’re side by side, not face to face, moving at the same rhythm. The pressure lifts. Words come easier. Thoughts appear more naturally. Nature seems to say, It’s okay. You can open up here.

Some of my most meaningful conversations have happened on simple 1:1 walks. No agenda, no expectation — just grounded feet, open air, and a slow unwinding of whatever’s been held inside.

There’s something incredibly meaningful about being beside someone as they begin to open up, breathe easier, or finally speak the words they’ve been carrying quietly for too long.

I feel deeply honoured when people trust me enough to let me be that other person on the trail with them. To listen. To share the silence. To simply walk alongside them while nature does its gentle work. There’s a sense of appreciation — almost a quiet gratitude — in knowing that a simple walk together might have played even a small part in their healing.

Being part of that process, not by fixing anything but simply by being there, I have found a rewarding part of my own journey.

Recently, out on one of my walks, I took a photo of a massive tree — ancient, rooted, steady. Standing under it, I felt the same kind of grounding presence I get from walking with someone I care about. Trees don’t rush; they don’t judge; they simply are. And somehow, being near something so stable invites us to feel a little more stable too.

The benefits of walking for emotional wellbeing are is becoming so widely recognised that many therapists now offer “walk and talk” sessions. Instead of sitting in a clinical room, these sessions take place outdoors — moving through parks, woodland paths, or quiet neighbourhood routes. For people who struggle to open up in traditional settings but feel more at ease in nature, this can be a more encouraging alternative. The natural environment helps conversations unfold in a way that feels less formal, less pressured, and much more human.

This connection between walking, outdoors and healing is something I explore in my book Between the Trails. Writing it became a way to capture the lessons, the quiet breakthroughs, and the sense of clarity that walking has given me. My journey through nature — and personal growth— inspired its content, because I believe these small moments outdoors can shift something big inside us.

That’s the thing about nature: it encourages openness without forcing it.

A short stroll, ten minutes in the fresh air, even pausing to admire a tree or the moon behind the clouds— it all contributes to our wellbeing in ways we don’t always notice until afterward. The mind clears. The heart softens. The body remembers it’s part of something bigger.

And the best part? The walk doesn’t have to be long, or planned, or perfect. It just has to happen.

Whether it’s a forest path or a loop around the block, getting out and moving, especially with someone who matters — can be one of the most healing things we do for ourselves.

Because sometimes, nature doesn’t just help us find our way.

It helps us find each other, too.